#FunFindFriday: Hole Punch Toys

I really do hate to admit it, but after 8+ years of working in the industry I’ve started to grow bored with the vast majority of non-vibrating sex toys on the market.

That isn’t to say I think everything is bland, just that many of the highly accessible and heavily advertised ones are surprisingly uninspiring; there’s little attention paid to originality, the color choices are lackluster, there’s no freedom of artistic expression, and damn near all of them have no kick or imagination.

Enter this weeks #FunFindFriday: Hole Punch Toys, the designer behind some seriously fun and colorful artisanal small batch silicone sex toys, molded and poured by hand, one by one, in an art studio in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The uniqueness doesn’t end there, unlike large volume manufactures each is made to order, and details like color are subject to the creators whim at the time of pouring. If he’s in a translucent grass-green mood, that is what you’ll get. Hunter green today? There you go. I have to admit, judging by this misfit box of toys or these white chocolate lookalikes, I’d be more than happy to get something completely my own.

Have an idea for a toy you’d like made? You’ve come to the right place, Bespoke toys are something they do. Just get in contact with a brief description of your idea, and if it’s something that can be done they’ll gladly work with you to make it happen. It’ll probably cost you a pretty penny, but there are times when it’s worth it. This is one of them.

Needing to know more I went right to the source, asking the creator if he’d answer a bunch of questions about Hole Punch Toys, the concept behind the designs, how the toys are made, etc. and he very graciously obliged. Big thanks to Colin for taking time out of his busy schedule, I totally appreciate it.

1.) Who is Hole Punch Toys?

Hole Punch Toys are an extension of Hole Punch Studio, which is an arbitrary name assigned, for beuroctaric and advertising reasons, to the art I produce. I, being me, Colin. Primarily visual art, both two and three dimentiomal, audio visual, or in this case, silicone. I create one hundred percent of the material associated with Hole Punch Toys, with the exception of some borrowed imagery used in digital assemblages for labels and such.

2.) What motivated you to create Hole Punch Toys?

The same thing that motivates any creative endeavor I think. The challenge of bringing something that exist in your imagination into physical being. The process of making. I suppose having sex toys in my head to begin with is telling of something, but I’ll leave that for another discussion.

3.) What sets Hole Punch Toys apart from other manufacturers?

It depends. If you are asking about the business as an entity, I would say that the main difference is in production capability. This is a one person operation. I pour and package each piece to order in my free time which means each piece is approached as a singular object, made from a singular batch of silicone and tinted individually. That could all change of course, but for now, that is how it is.

If you are asking about the toys themselves, I DO NOT differentiate them from other silicone toys of this nature.

I think there is room for as many designs in this world as there are minds and the bodies attached to them. Not everything is for everybody. If someone likes what I make, that’s fantastic. If not, that’s great also. Although it will hurt me deeply and might make me cry.

4.) Where do you draw inspiration for your designs from?

It is pretty plain to see my designs don’t come from a very high minded place. Although I have appreciation for so called “fine art”, I seem to have been impacted most deeply by the images and symbology of pop culture, from Saturday morning cartoons and comics to advertising imagery and the beauty of everyday objects.

All my art seems to be an effort to break down images and forms into their simplest components, which works well in designing insertables, where detail and complex shapes are not optimal. It suits my style, if I could be bold enough to think I have one.

4 Responses to #FunFindFriday: Hole Punch Toys

Thanks for this, Kara. I’m a Hole Punch Toys enthusiast and admire the creativity and precision of their products, and it’s great to get a little behind-the-scenes info. More of these interviews please!

Hi, Kara. Thanks for your best site, because you are my great inspiration and motivation for my blog. I´m your big fan!
Good luck and more amazing review! Greetings from Czech Republic Vanilopka♥Vanilopka